A Shining Light
by Tigeress Queen
Summary: Pressure has been placed on him by everyone, friends and family alike, all of his life. Escape from it is impossible, even at school. His life has never been his to live. What will the arrival of a new student mean for him? Will anything change? AU
1. Introduction

**Disclaimer: I don't own Harry Potter or any of its characters or places.**

**A Shining Light**

**Introduction**

The halls were filled with the sounds of student rushing to the Great Hall. No one wanted to be late to the Halloween Feast for fear of having the best food snatched by a housemate. It didn't matter that none of the food would even appear until after the headmaster gave his speech. No, a large part of the fun of the feast was the hustle and bustle of it all. Groups of friends hurried by; their voices raised in excitement and cheer as they discussed the sweets that would likely be available. Everywhere you looked there were smiles of ecstasy and anticipation. Except for on one Regulus Black's face which was twisted into a sneer of disgust. 'If there's anything I hate more than those damned perky Gryffindors, it would have to be the whole fucking school acting like dimwits.' If at all possible, his sneer deepened.

Regulus was headed to the feast as well, but not with a group of his friends; he was making his way toward the Great Hall alone. It wasn't that he had no friends; in truth he had a large group of acceptable allies that he could have gone with, just as any true and proper Slytherin had, but Regulus had left the Common Room earlier in the evening, intent upon being alone with his thoughts. He had walked out of the dungeons and begun walking with no actual destination in mind. It had been no surprise to him when he had found himself in the astronomy tower though; it was a spot he frequented whenever he needed to think or to be alone. In this instance, he needed both. For hours, his mind had spun thought after thought through his mind. Foremost was the parcel he had received from his mother just that morning, the one containing the gold ring bearing the Black family crest. Along with the ring had come a short message of explanation, but Regulus hadn't needed any. He knew the ring, had seen it everyday since he had been five, first hanging on a thin gold chain from his older brother Sirius' neck and then on Sirius' right middle-finger. It was the ring that was traditionally given to every Black heir, the Black family signet ring, and now, it was his. Now, _he_ was the Black heir because Sirius had abandoned them, had betrayed their entire family, had left _him _behind. He shook his head violently to rid himself of the thoughts. 'You idiot, he's already forgotten you. Why don't you do yourself a very large favor and forget about him?'

All thought of the ring now adorning his middle-finger and how and why it was there flew from his mind when he rounded the corner. Loud, raucous laughter and taunting voices filled his ears; the voices were very familiar to him, especially one that stood out above the others, forever on top and never silent. He stopped a few feet away from the small group of Gryffindors and ducked behind a suit of armor to observe. It was no surprise to see James Potter and Sirius Black at the center of all the commotion; on the sidelines stood the coward Pettigrew egging them on as usual. They had apparently cornered Severus Snape on his way to the feast, alone.

"On your way to the feast, Snivellus?"

"He can't possibly be, Sirius; he's not dressed right for a Halloween feast."

"We'll just have to fix that. How about some green hair to go with that oversized nose of his?"

James grinned and stepped toward Snape brandishing his wand. As soon as Snape saw James' wand, he drew his own.

"Expelliarmus!"

With that, Snape's wand flew into Sirius' hand, leaving him defenseless before the two Gryffindors. 'I guess that's my cue.' He drew his own wand and slipped it discreetly into his sleeve where it would be easily accessible, if needed, and yet out of view.

"Ah, here you are, Severus; I've been looking all over for you."

"What do you want, Black? If you hadn't noticed, I'm a little preoccupied right now."

Instead of answering his housemate, Regulus turned to his brother.

"Give him back his wand, and move on, Sirius."

"What makes you think I'm going to listen to you, Reggie," he asked, his tone derisive.

"You may not have to listen to your brother, but I believe you _do_ however have to listen to _me_, Mr. Black, now, return Mr. Snape's wand, immediately," ordered a new voice.

Sirius thrust the Slytherin's wand into his hand and pulled his hand back as quickly as he could, and then stood glaring at both the Slytherins.

"For dueling in the halls, I'm taking ten points from each of you; now _all_ of you get to the feast before I start handing out detentions as well."

Regulus and Severus counted themselves lucky and left; of course, giving the Marauders looks that promised retribution at a later date.

"Ten points, professor, that's crazy! Those gits…"

Sirius' outburst was cut off when James elbowed him in the ribs, hard. He smiled winningly at their professor and pushed his best friend to the side. James knew well the look on her face, and whenever she had it, it usually didn't bode well for one or more of the Marauders, often either James or Sirius.

"Don't listen to him, professor; Sirius is just umm…hungry. Ten points each is _very_ fair."

"I'm glad you think so, Mr. Potter; now the three of you should join your classmates in the Great Hall."

James and Peter each grabbed an arm and dragged their aggravated friend away before he could earn them all detentions.

**Please leave a Review. This is my first fanfic and I'd really really appreciate some comments.**


	2. I

**Chapter One: The New Girl**

Every seat in the Great Hall was filled with loud and happy students from first years to seventh years. Everyone was eagerly awaiting the beginning of the Halloween Feast. Regulus entered the hall and took his seat between his cousins Bellatrix and Narcissa.

"Where have you been, Reggie? We've been looking for you," Bellatrix asked as she turned her intense, grey eyes on him.

He ignored the shiver that ran down his spine as he answered, "Just taking a walk that's all, Bella."

His cousin's eyes were following Sirius and his friends as they entered the hall and took their seats among the other Gryffindors. She obviously didn't believe him.

"It isn't like you to be late. What were you up to," she asked suspiciously.

"Leave off with the interrogation, Bella. I'm sure whatever he was doing was perfectly proper,"the elder Lestrange brother said, winking at Regulus.

"It had better be; I promised Auntie I'd look after you, and I won't have you turning out to be a disgrace like _him_," she muttered bitterly.

Regulus sighed in relief when his cousin turned away from him and resumed her conversation with the Lestrange brothers.

"Bella must really like him. Don't you think," Narcissa whispered to him.

"Who, you mean Rodolphus? She must, otherwise he'd be in the nurse's wing for a month, at least, for interrupting her like that."

Their conversation was interrupted when Lucius Malfoy took the seat next to Narcissa.

"Isn't he gorgeous," she whispered to him before she turned to Lucius.

As he waited for his cousin to finish flirting with the Malfoy heir, Regulus couldn't help but watch his older brother with his best friend James Potter. 'What does Potter have that I don't have?' This question had been plaguing him since his brother had been sorted into Gryffindor six years ago and begun to prefer his new friends' company to his own. It had gotten worse since this past summer when his brother had moved out of their home and in with the Potters; it was so bad that sometimes he couldn't even sleep at night. Suddenly, Remus Lupin looked up and met his eyes; he sneered automatically and turned his head away. Regulus would never admit it, but Lupin's calm, amber eyes always unnerved him.

"Cissy, stop flirting for a second and look at me."

"Reggie, you're so mean sometimes. What is it?"

"I am not mean, at least not to you; besides, you don't even need to flirt with him, your betrothal with him became official last winter."

His cousin's reply was cut off when their headmaster stood up and began speaking. Everyone fell silent as they waited for him to signal the beginning of the feast.

"Students and faculty, I'm sure everyone is eager for the feast to begin, but before we all dig in, there is something that needs to be done. I want everyone to join me in welcoming a new student to our school."

He gestured for someone to enter from the side entrance the teachers used; a witch entered and walked to stand in front of the High Table. All eyes were immediately on her, both male and female. She was beautiful with long, deep black hair and shining, green eyes. Even the Slytherins couldn't help but stare, although covertly. Regulus was watching her out of the corner of his eye; his attention was mainly on Sirius who was practically drooling as he stared wide-eyed at the girl. 'It looks like everyone, even Sirius, is enthralled with her.' He looked down the table and noted that even the youngest students were spellbound.

"Everyone, this is Miss Lynette Evelay, and she'll be joining us here at Hogwarts. This is her first time in school, and I am confident that you will all help her in adjusting and make her feel welcome."

His eyes wandered quickly throughout the hall, lingering longest on the Slytherins' table.

"But, professor, it's already the middle of the school year; there's so much work she'd have to make up," asked a red-headed Gryffindor.

"I am aware of that, Miss Evans, but I have spoken with Miss Evelay and am completely confident in her abilities to catch up in all of her classes, and as I said, I'm sure you'll all assist Miss Evelay in every way you can."

"Which house will she be in," called out one of the Hufflepuffs.

"We're all going to find that out right now. Miss Evelay, if you would please take a seat."

He gestured to the stool that had been placed in the usual place for the Sorting Ceremony, on which she perched herself gracefully.

"She definitely fits her name, "little beauty", what a match" whispered one of the Slytherins.

Many of the Slytherins were already speculating as to which house she would be in; the hope was that she'd be a Slytherin, or at the very least a Ravenclaw. From the whispers going around the hall, almost everyone was hoping that she'd be in their house.

"Shut up, the lot of you; you all completely disgust me."

Everyone fell silent at Bellatrix's hissed whisper and vicious glare.

"Professor McGonagall, if you would, the Sorting Hat, please."

The frayed hat was set upon her head, and everyone watched intently as they awaited its decision; many were holding their breath.

"Don't get too excited, boys and girls, her worth is about to be decided. You never know, she may be a Hufflepuff or _even_ a Gryffindor."

The wizards, and some witches, visibly wilted at the idea, and Bellatrix laughed maliciously.

"Bella, honey, don't ruin their fun."

Miraculously she didn't curse him; instead, she fell silent and turned her attention to the front of the hall. Regulus shared a look with Narcissa, which ended in Narcissa bursting into a fit of giggles.

"Have you ever seen anyone talk to her like that?"

"And survive? I didn't think I'd ever see that; not even mother talks to her like that. She's got to be in love; either that or he's got her under the Imperius."

Their conversation ended when the hat called out, "RAVENCLAW!"

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	3. II

**Chapter Two: The Feast**

As soon as the hat's decision had been announced, the hall exploded into applause and shouts of approval. It seemed everyone was happy to see her placed in Ravenclaw; even the Slytherins were applauding, albeit in a more dignified and reserved manner. Regulus looked around the hall before turning once again to his blonde cousin.

"This is the strangest sorting I've ever seen; it's the first time all of the houses have applauded when someone was sorted."

"Don't you see? She's a _Ravenclaw_; that means anyone can be close to her and still not break any house boundaries; laymen's terms, anyone can shag her."

"True, I guess; though I hope she has better taste than to choose one of those thickheaded Gryffindors."

Narcissa looked at her cousin with sudden interest; her gossip's heart coming out.

"Who _would_ you like her to choose, cousin? Perhaps you've taken an interest in her yourself?"

Regulus looked at her in shocked silence for a second before he was able to properly articulate his thoughts.

"What are talking about, Cissy? I didn't even think about that; I was only thinking aloud."

"Sure you were."

"I…"

"Would the two of you stop that insipid conversation? Cissa, you know absolutely nothing about her family or bloodlines, and already, you're pairing her up with the last male in our family? What's the matter with you; what if she turns out to be a Half-blood or worse a _Mudblood_? Regulus, you know that Uncle's already working on your betrothal."

"I remember, Bella; you don't have to worry about me disgracing our family because I won't."

"You had better not."

"I'm sorry, Bella; I was only trying to tease him. It wasn't anything serious.

"Well, marriage and blood purity are not joking matters."

With that, the three turned their attention back toward the front where the Sorting Hat was now being removed, and Lynette was walking toward her new housemates; some were still cheering.

* * *

"Hey, new girl, come sit here; we've got an open seat," a group of sixth year guys called as she neared the Ravenclaw table. 

Before she could even reply, a hand shot out into the aisle way and halted her progress.

"Why don't you sit here with us," asked the girl holding her by the wrist.

Lynette nodded before taking a seat and smiling apologetically at the sixth years who had called out to her in the first place.

"Hi, I'm Laurel Aleshire, but everyone just calls me Lorie. This is Tamra and that's her sister Jane. Jane's a fifth year like me, and Tamra's in her seventh year."

Lorie had long, wavy dusty brown hair and dark brown eyes; her manner was open and inviting as she spoke. The other two, Tamra and Jane, had almost identical features except that while Jane's blonde hair was short and framed her face, Tamra's was almost past her waist; they had identical hazel eyes and the same friendly smiles.

"It's nice to meet all of you."

"Same here. Your name's Lynette, right? How old are you? How come you enrolled so late? Were you sick or what? Do you have any sisters? Brothers? My sister and I…"

Lynette could only stare wide-eyed as Jane spoke; she was unable to even answer one of her questions. Lorie smiled at her and shrugged her shoulders. Across from her, Tamra rolled her eyes and reached over to clamp a hand over her younger sister's mouth.

"Take a breath once in a while, Janie, before you turn blue and die of oxygen deprivation."

"Don't call me Janie, my name's Jane."

Shaking her head in exasperation, Lorie returned her attention to Lynette who had been quietly watching the sisters.

"So, how old are you, and why did you enroll so late. I always thought there was a deadline?"

"I'm fifteen, and I enrolled so late because my grandmother steadfastly refused to let me go to school. She insisted that I'd learn more if I was home schooled, but when she passed away last month, my mom immediately contacted the Headmaster, and somehow, she convinced him to let me in now."

"Wow, I'm sorry; I mean about your grandmother and all."

"Me too, Lynette."

"It's ok, we were never very close; I mean I loved her and everything, but she was never close to anyone really, not even her son, my dad. I'm just glad I finally get to go to a real school."

"Hey, aren't you guys hungry," asked a dark haired boy sitting next to Tamra.

Looking around, they realized that the feast had started while they were talking.

"Well girls, let's dig in."

"Before all the good stuff is gone."

As they ate, the three girls continued to get to know one another with others joining in as well. Tamra soon joined a conversation with her own yearmates. Lynette decided that she liked Hogwarts and that she would very much enjoy going to school here; she didn't seem to notice that many of the guys, from all houses, from second and third years all the way up to seventh years were watching her every move; there were also many female gazes upon her. None of this seemed to even register with her as she conversed with her new friends, but Regulus noticed and his curiosity was piqued. He resolved to learn more about this girl before he turned his full attention to Bellatrix and what she was saying about the stupidity of muggles and Mudbloods.

_**I'd definitely appreciate some comments. Thanks!**_


	4. III

**Chapter Three: First Day**

"Hurry up, girls, or we're not going to have time for breakfast, and I, for one, am starving."

"How can you be starving? You ate like three times your body weight last night. Am I right, Lin?"

They both turned to her expectantly; she looked over from where she was brushing her hair and was met with two identically expectant faces.

"I wasn't really paying attention to the amount of food anyone ate; I was a little busy just taking everything in."

"Don't worry, you'll get used to everything, and we'll help you," a new voice said.

"Good morning, everyone. Shall we go to breakfast," inquired a second voice.

"Lynette, you remember Cecile and Karin, right?"

"Yes, of course," she said as she smiled in greeting.

"Well, now that everyone knows everyone else, can we _please _go to breakfast? I'm still starving you know."

This question was met with affirmatives, and they all headed out of their room. As the five girls entered the common room, two boys stepped in front of them.

"Hey Lorie, aren't you going to introduce us," the taller of the two asked.

"If I do, will that get you to leave us alone," she asked in annoyance.

"Maybe, you'll never know until you introduce us."

"And...if you don't, we'll just keep bothering you about it," added his companion.

"Fine. Lynette, this idiot is Jacob Sorge and the other one is Darius Roth. Trust me, you'd do better not knowing them at all. They're complete dunderheads."

"Hey, we are not!"

"Right because breaking into the restricted section of the library _after _curfew and leaving a piece of parchment with your _names _on it just proves how intelligent you are, right," Jane asked sarcastically.

Both boys flushed in embarrassment and looked at one another, unable to come up with anything to say.

"I'm glad to meet the two of you," Lynette said affably, shaking hands with each of them in turn.

"Hah! You hear that? She's _glad_ to meet us," Darius smugly pointed out.

"That's because she doesn't know you yet; give it a couple hours. Come on, girls," Lorie said, confidently leading the way out of the common room.

As soon as they were outside, Karin and Cecile left to join some of other friends. After they had gone, Jane whirled on Lynette.

"Are you always nice or what?"

"What do you mean," Lynette asked in confusion.

"What Jane means is, aren't you ever mean or rude to anyone? We've only known you for one night, and so far, you've not once been anything less than gracious to someone, even to those idiots drooling over you last night in the Great Hall."

Lynette looked at the two of them in confusion, now aware of anyone, supposedly, 'drooling' over her.

She answered as honestly as she could though, "I've never really thought about it; I've just always tried to be nice to people...,"she said, her voice trailing off at the end.

"Well, you'll soon meet some people you just can't be nice to," was Lorie's opinion.

"What do you mean?"

"Why don't we let that be a surprise? Hey, Jane, can you believe how easy McGonagall's assignment was?"

Lynette decided not to push, since Lorie was obviously, and deliberately, changing the subject.

I know; it was…"

Lynette let their conversation fade out as her mind drifted to other thoughts. Last night's sorting ceremony was quickly at the forefront of her thoughts. Not the whole thing, just what the Hat had said to her as she sat perched atop the stool.

"_Ah, so you're the one who has managed to convince Albus into allowing you in so late; I had wondered what he saw in you, and now, I see. He was quite right, you are an extraordinary, young witch."_

"_What do you mean? I mean I've always been told I was intelligent, but surely not extraordinarily so."_

"_No, you're right; your intelligence isn't what is special about you. What is special about you is your lack of bias, your conscious decision to give everyone a chance.. For example, everyone I've sorted over the years has had a desire as to which house they would prefer. Even the muggleborns hear enough on the train ride here to know which house they __**don't **__want, but you, my dear, are different. Why is that? For I see here, it isn't because of a lack of knowledge; you obviously know much of the houses and of their founders."_

"_I thought you were to decide, not me."_

"_I make the final decision, but I **am** interested in knowing your desires."_

"_I don't wish to alter your decision; it **is **true I have researched the four houses and their founders. In fact, I've read everything I can on Hogwarts, but I wish to be placed in the house you think best fits me. From what I know, there are good attributes to each of the houses, so I'll be happy in any one of them."_

"_You are an intriguing person, Lynette Evelay, and I foresee an interesting future for you, but first, we must start you on the right path. Now, let's see, bravery you are not short of, and shyness certainly isn't in your nature, but patience is a virtue of which you have much of, and I see friendship and loyalty are indeed very important to you. Then again, we can't forget your ambitious nature or your natural resourcefulness. There's also your wit and thirst for knowledge and learning. Where to put you, where to put you? Ah, now what is this I see? There is sorrow and darkness in you, and it will hold you back as you grow if you do not let it go."_

"_What are you speaking of? I don't feel…"_

"_What of your brother and the guilt you feel for what happened to him?"_

"_He has nothing to do with this; please, just place me into the house I'm meant for."_

"_Alright, if you don't wish to unburden yourself to me, then so be it. As for which house, I believe your future would be bright in any one of them, but there are some whose futures are shadowed, and I think you are just what is needed to bring some light to the situation."_

"_What are you talking abo…?"_

"_I have decided, RAVENCLAW!"  
_

And then she'd been sorted, just like that. She had spent all night trying to figure out what the Hat had been talking about, not sleeping a wink, but nothing was any clearer now than it had been last night. Shaking her head, she decided to put it to the back of her mind for the moment. Today was her first day of classes, and she knew she had a lot of catching up to do if she wished to pass her O. and advance to the next level with the rest of her yearmates. Her thought processes were interrupted by a hand suddenly waving in her face.

"What, what is it?"

"Lorie and I are trying to introduce you to Lily, but you seem to be in another world."

"Sorry about that."

"_As_ we were saying, Lily, this is Lynette Evelay. Lynette, this is Lily Evans; she's a seventh year Gryffindor and Head Girl."

"Hello, Lynette, it's a pleasure to meet you."

"Likewise, I…"

"Hey Lils, are we still on for Hogsmeade next week?!"

"James Potter, you are the rudest person I've ever met! Can't you see I was already in a conversation with someone? I can't believe _you're_ Head Boy. When you learn some manners, then we'll talk," she turned back to the group of girls and said, "I'll see you later, girls."

And with that, she strode on down into the Great Hall with James close on her heels, spouting apologies.

"Don't mind them, they always make up."

"Yeah, everyone knows that as soon as they graduate they're going to get married and have a bunch of kids. Well, come on; I think we still have time to grab some food before we have to be in class."

The three fifth years hurried into the Hall and to the Ravenclaw table.

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